Captivated

by Jagger Cole

  But just as quickly, I pull my hand away. No, I need to stay focused. I can’t allow myself to drown in my desire for Tessa. I can’t let my guard down. For one, she might get away. But for two, half the damn mob is out there right now hunting for me.

  I close my eyes. They stay closed too long, and I quickly open them again. I’m exhausted, and I’m approaching the end of my reserves. Not great given the current situation. I’ve got a mob princess as my captive. It’s like having the tiger by the fucking tail. And this is one pissed off tiger.

  There’s more to all of this than just Dino deciding to randomly off me on a job. He’s doing it to silence me, because he knows what I found out about him. It was maybe a week before he offered me this last job. I was on another job, breaking into a lower-level, up-and-coming crew’s headquarters. It was a Dino job too. He wanted their operations ruined, their supply contacts stolen, and their HQ torched. Anything I found aside from that was mine to keep, though.

  The boss of this rival crew had a cheap-ass little safe that I easily broke into. It netted me a cool thirty thousand bucks and some sweet watches. But it also had a hard drive labeled “De Luca.”

  Naturally, curiousity got the better of me, but I wish I hadn’t. Basically, it was the rival crew’s Dead Man’s Switch. I think it was leverage. If they go down, Dino goes down too. Because what I found was awful. It was proof that Dino was into some messed up shit. He wasn’t just being a typical mob prick; he was running girls. Younger ones, too, and mostly illegal immigrants from Latin American and Eastern Europe.

  I don’t know how Dino knows that I’m clued in to his business. But I know he knows. It’s the only reason he’d have come after me like this. It also means this isn’t over by a long shot. I have information that could sink Dino. The Feds would definitely want to know about it. But so would the upper level bosses above Dino. That shit doesn’t fly with the mob.

  My eyes close again. But my phone rings loudly, startling me. I glance down and frown at the name on the screen before I answer.

  “Colton.” Colton’s a friend from way, way back. He and I came up together on the streets. We learned to steal together, did jobs together, all of that. Colton works as a freelance bounty hunter now. He takes mob contracts too, hunting down rogue captains or people who’ve put their hands in the cookie jar. We don’t keep up as much as I’d like to these days, but he’s still a good friend.

  “Max,” he drawls back. “Long time, buddy.”

  “Long time, man,” I grin. I sit back in the sofa, trying to keep my eyes open.

  “You sound like shit, man.”

  I chuckle. “Good to hear from you too, douchebag. How’ve you been?”

  He sighs. “Max, I’m gonna level with you. This isn’t exactly a social call.” I frown. Colton grunts. “Heard you’re in some shit, man.”

  I glance down at the mess of bandages under my shirt. I seriously need to find a doctor or change this myself.

  “I’m fine,” I grunt.

  Colton snorts. “Not what I heard.”

  “Gossiping about me, Colton?”

  “I heard the whole fucking De Luca crew is looking to put a hole in your head, Max,” he grunts.

  “I’ve dealt with worse. Dino’s guys are a bunch of pussies anyways.”

  “Fuck it. Max, I gotta be honest. They hired me.”

  Shit. I sit up and frown. “What? Wait, Dino?”

  “Yeah, man,” Colton sighs. “He wants you, Max.”

  I smirk coldly. “Coming after me, Colton?”

  “I didn’t know it was you, you stupid motherfucker,” he grunts. “Not when I took the job. But I mean shit, Max! You took the guy’s fucking daughter!?”

  I ignore him, “So are you coming after me or not, Colton?”

  “Not,” he grunts. “I mean, yeah, I took the job, but when I realized the hit was on you, of course not.”

  “What’s the bounty? Out of curiosity?”

  Colton snickers. “You don’t wanna know.”

  “Insultingly low?”

  He chuckles. “No. High enough that every riff-riff from here to Philly is going to be looking for you.” Colton sighs. “You somewhere safe, man?”

  “Yep.”

  “Let me guess, your little hideout at the factory?”

  I frown. “You come looking or me, Colton, and I will but a bullet in you.” I grin. “I mean, nowhere fatal, but it’ll hurt.”

  My buddy laughs. “Relax, Max. I’m not. Do you have an exit strategy, though?”

  I glance at the locked door to where Tessa is. “Working on it.”

  “Work faster. I’m not the only freelance help Dino’s brought in. He’s got a whole slew of bounty hunters and those types looking for you. The walls are closing, Max. I can help out as much as I can; clue you in when I know shit. But you know…”

  “You can’t be seen actually helping me.”

  “Max…”

  “No, I get it.” I sigh. “I get it, man.”

  “I can give you a heads up if trouble is coming your way, though.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  “Of course, man. We go way back. But Max, you wanna tell me why you plucked Tessa De Luca up off the street? Did Dino fuck you over?”

  “It’s a long story. But yeah.”

  “What’s the plan, shoot her?”

  “Fuck no,” I growl savagely. I also say it too quickly for Colton not to pick up on it.

  “She’s a pretty girl.”

  I say nothing.

  “Max,” Colton sighs warily.

  “What?”

  “I know your type well, that’s what.”

  “And?”

  “And you’ve got a fucking type,” he chuckles. “A redhead with blue eyes? And I hear she’s a serious firecracker?”

  “You haven’t heard the half of it,” I mutter.

  Colton starts to laugh heartily. “Man, you’re fucked, aren’t you?”

  “I’ll be fine, asshole,” I grumble. “Just let me know if the mob army is about break down my door, yeah?”

  Colton chuckles. “I’ll try. Take care of yourself though, Max. Later.”

  He hangs up and I sink back into the couch. Fuck, my head is swimming. My side aches. I glance back at the door, imagining Tessa on the other side of it. My side ain’t the only thing aching right now. The bullet wound is courtesy of Dino. But the thick bulge in my jeans is all Tessa. I growl like an animal.

  I’ve never wanted a woman the way I want this girl. I’ve never lusted so primally like I am for her. It’s not even that I want to have her. It feels as if she’s already mine. It feels as if Dino coming after me is actually him coming to take what’s mine. And that brings out some seriously evolutionary alpha shit in me. It’s like a primal instinct to protect her and keep her all to myself. Which is fucked up, since I’m the one that took her off the street. But it is what it is.

  I think again to the way her sundress rode up high. I remember the flash of her panties tight across her ass. I groan, and my hand falls to my lap. I cup the thickness there under the denim and snarl. But suddenly, my phone rings again.

  “Fuck,” I hiss. I answer it quickly. “Fuck, Colt. You miss me already?”

  “Well, that depends.”

  Shit. The voice on the other end is definitely not my friend. I glance at the phone screen and see that it’s a blocked number.

  “Who is this?”

  “Do we know each other well enough for me to miss you?”

  “Who the fuck is this?” I hiss.

  The man chuckles darkly. “My name is Takahashi. Special Agent Takahashi, Mr. Ryan.”

  I freeze. “Special Agent as in…”

  “As in the FBI.”

  Oh fuck. I take a breath. “What can I do for you, Special Agent Takahashi—”

  “Let’s skip the games, huh? And you can call me Mike.”

  “I don’t think we need to get personal, do you?” I grunt.

  He chuckles. “Believe me,
Max, I already know pretty much everything about you. But call me whatever the fuck you want.”

  “What do you want,” I mutter. I reach for my gun and glance at the door to the loft space.

  “Not you, so relax,” Mike answers. “Well, probably not you.”

  “Meaning?”

  “We’re after Dino De Luca. I know you work for him.”

  “Worked,” I grunt. “Past tense.”

  “Yeah, I’m aware that your arrangement has… soured.”

  I say nothing. Mike keeps going.

  “I’m reaching out because I know you and Mr. De Luca have parted ways, and not well. I know you’ve got half the mob looking for you and probably a few dirty cops, and now there’s a price on your head. I’m guessing you’re still holed up in New York somewhere.”

  “Why don’t you just tell me what you do want, Agent Takahashi.”

  “Fine. I want to put Dino De Luca in a fucking hole and throw away the key. And I could use your help.”

  I snicker. “You think I’m going to rat?”

  “The man put a price on your head, Max. Are you really worried about being a rat? I just want any information you might have that would help us.”

  I’ve watched this game play out with other guys. The FBI are some sneaky fucks. They wait until you’re on the ropes and waltz in ready to be your best friend. They are, too, up until you give them what they want. Then they throw you back to the wolves. I’m not dumb enough to think Special Agent Takahashi in any way gives a shit about me.

  “Alright, alright,” I sigh. “Since you’ve got me pegged as still in New York, can you come meet me?”

  “Absolutely!” he says eagerly. “Where are you?”

  Gotcha, motherfucker. I hang up instantly. I glance at the length of the call and grin. Good. It’s only been a minute. Too quick to trace and triangulate my location.

  “Prick,” I mutter. I sink back into the ratty old sofa and groan. I glance at the door to Tessa’s room. Instantly, my mood improves, and my cock starts to grow again.

  Something tells me, this girl is a lot more trouble than I was expecting. Something else tells me, I don’t care.

  6

  Tessa

  Oh my God, what was that? I’m sitting motionless on the edge of the bed. My pulse is racing, and my eyes are fixed on my twisting fingers. I know I’m locked in a room in some sort of creepy old building. I’m being held by a clearly dangerous and deranged man against my will.

  But that man just kissed me, and that was very much not against my will. That kiss is all I can think about now. I’m ignoring the locked door and the barred windows. My lips can still feel the bruise of his. My tongue can still taste his mouth. My body is still quivering and trembling, and the heat in my core won’t be going away anytime soon.

  It’s not just that he’s “rough and dangerous,” either. I know that’s a thing women fixate on in a fantasy man. But I’ve been around rough and dangerous men my whole life. With my dad being who he is, his thugs and mob soldiers have been all over our house and in our lives almost constantly. My mother at least held them off by laying down some laws. But after she passed, our huge house in New Jersey was almost an office building for mob-types.

  And yet I never once had a single attraction to any of those men. My father’s army of criminals always seemed scummy and gross to me. Whatever just happened with my kidnapper, it isn’t because he’s my first “bad boy.” It’s that he’s like no man I’ve ever known.

  Max. His name is Max. I whisper the name across my lips, and it makes me shiver. It fits him, too. Brief, masculine, with a little roughness to it. My mind wanders back to his haunting dark eyes and lined jaw with the sexy scruff on it. His dark hair and broad shoulders. I remember the way he just picked me up over his shoulder and carried me. I could feel his muscles flexing against me, and I remember blushing at the feeling. I also remember feeling my dress pull up over my ass, and I wonder if his hungry eyes got a peek of something no man ever has before.

  But then he took what no other man ever has before. Max, my dark and mysteriously sexy kidnapper, just stole my very first kiss. I should not be as okay with it as I am. I shouldn’t be okay with it all, as a matter of fact. But instead, I’m sitting here grinning. Something must be terribly wrong with me.

  The door rattles, and I jump a little. It unlocks and swings in. The man I’ve been daydreaming about himself comes striding in like a dark storm. I worry my lip, and I can feel my cheeks redden. He smirks at me, and I wonder just how obvious my thoughts are on my face.

  “Come on.”

  I frown. “Excuse me?”

  “We have a phone call to make,” Max says plainly. His face is neutral.

  “What phone call?”

  His lips curl. “We’re going to call daddy and get things out in the open about what’s going on.”

  “You mean about you kidnapping me off the street?”

  “Yep,” Max grunts. “Basically that.”

  “And your ransom, I assume?”

  He shrugs. “That too. Now come on.”

  I frown at him. “I’m sorry, would you like to apologize first?”

  He glances back at me and grins. “For?”

  “For kissing me!” I snap.

  “Nope. Now come on.”

  I stare at him in disbelief. “I beg your pardon?” I snap at him. I know this is an act, in a way. I know I need to sound incensed and outraged that he stole that kiss from me. But my heart isn’t in my performance. And I think Max can tell.

  “I said no,” he chuckles. “I’m not going to apologize for that.”

  “And why is that?!”

  He shrugs. “Because I’m not a liar.”

  “Just a kidnapping thief?”

  “Exactly.” He sighs and glances at his watch. “Now come on, phone call time.”

  “Not until you apologize for kissing me like that!”

  Max growls. His eyes darken as they bore into me, and I tremble. “I’m not going to apologize, because I’m not sorry. And also, because I’d do it again in a fucking heartbeat.”

  I bristle. But inside, my core is tightening and thrilling at the threat. A blush comes to my face, and I purse my lips.

  “You would not,” I whisper.

  Max grins. “Watch me, sweetheart. Now let’s go.”

  He beckons, and I hate that I stand and walk towards him. It makes me feel like a puppy dog.

  “Good girl,” he chuckles.

  “Watch it,” I hiss with a warning tone. Max grins. God, why is his grin so sexy and melting? I scowl at him and march past him into the big loft area of his little hideout.

  “Do you live here?” I wrinkle my nose. It’s actually not that bad. Or, it wouldn’t be if it wasn’t in what is clearly an abandoned factory or something.

  “Sometimes,” he shrugs. “I’d have cleaned up if I knew I had a mob princess stopping by.”

  “I’m sure,” I mutter dryly. I walk through a living room area that is actually somewhat tasteful. At the big factory windows, I peer through the grime at the city skyline I can half make out.

  “Where are we, Brooklyn?” He hesitates. I turn to glare at him. “Do you really think it’s going to make a difference if I know what borough I’m in?”

  Max frowns. “Queens.”

  “Really? I don’t think I’ve ever been to this part of Queens.”

  “That doesn’t shock me in the slightest,” he grunts. “Come on, sit.” He nods at an old leather sofa, and I sit. Max pulls a cell phone out of his pocket and then glares at me. “You’re going to be on speaker. But you’re not gonna speak until I say so. Got it?”

  “Fine.”

  “If you do, there’s going to be trouble.”

  “I said I got it,” I mutter.

  Max eyes me, and then he dials a number. The ringer is on speaker, and I wait. Suddenly, the phone picks up, and I hear my father’s voice.

  “Hello?”

  “It didn’t have to go down
like this, Dino.”

  The phone is silent for a second. Then my dad starts to chuckle. “Well, well. Max Ryan. I was wondering when I was going to hear from your punk ass.”

  “You know why I’m calling I assume?”

  “Goddamn right I do!” My father bellows. “You took my daughter, you fucking prick!”

  I start to open my mouth. But Max just arches an eyebrow and shakes his head. I purse my lips tight.

  “Good girl,” he whispers. I blush. Of course I blush.

  “Where is she?!” My dad yells.

  “She’s safe. She’s fine. Let’s talk civilly so it stays that way.”

  “Fuck you, you little prick.”

  I open my mouth, but Max looks at me sharply. He shakes his head, and I glare back. But I close my mouth and sit back on the couch. My dad’s temper and his inability to even give a single inch is legendary. It’s also why we hardly ever get along. That and him wanting to control my whole life and keep me caged up.

  “So what the fuck do you want, asshole?” My dad sounds angrier than I’ve ever heard.

  “Two million, untraceable. And safe passage out of the city. Also, I don’t want to need to be looking in my rearview mirror, ever.”

  My dad laughs coldly. “Anything else? How about a fuckin’ handjob and a private jet?”

  “Well fuck, Dino,” Max grins. “If you’re offering. I mean, only if you’ve been moisturizing those hands.”

  I actually have to bite my lip to stop from grinning. Max is an arrogant prick, but I really do wish I could see the look on my father’s face right now. No one has ever spoken to Dino De Luca like that. As it is, I can hear him sputtering before the stream of swears come rattling out.

  “I’m gonna skin your dumb ass alive, you motherfucking cock-sucking—”

  “Dino, Dino,” Max sighs. “Let’s not say things we can’t take back.”

  I stare at him in disbelief. It was audacious to steal a mob boss’s daughter off the street. But speaking to my father like this might be even more insane.

  “I swear to fucking God, Max…”

  “I’ll take a raincheck on that tug-job, Dino. But I will take the two million and passage out of the city without being followed by your goons.”